These days, science communication, and public science are all the rage. But, in 1990, when I joined York University's Biology Department as an assistant professor, the notion, that taxpayer-funded professors should spend their valuable time away from research and teaching, chatting with people from outside of academia, was most definitely a minority opinion. In contrast […]
Public understanding of science
Science Fairs & Science on Ice at York University
The annual Science Fair is a right of passage for many aspiring, young scientists. I've been fortunate (if that's the right word), to experience them as both a judge, and a parent. Back in the 1990s, I was blown away by the creativity and enthusiasm of the young citizen scientists when I was a judge at the annual […]
Ada Lovelace Day at York University 2016
Once again, York University's 2nd International Ada Lovelace Day celebrations involved two different events: Canada Research Chair in Radioastronomy, and Director of the University of Toronto's Dunlap Observatory, Professor Bryan Gaensler gave the Ada Lovelace Day Lecture We held a drop-in Wikipedia Editathon in Steacie Science and Engineering Library We thank York University Libraries, the Lassonde School […]
Science Borealis' #SciComm100 science communication project
A picture is worth a thousand words. But, how about a great picture with a short-ish quote about the importance of science communication? (Now available on merch). I originally thought that this genius concept was Peggy Muddles', aka @thevexedmuddler's, idea. But, she fact-checked me, to explain that Science Borealis' recent blockbuster #SciComm100 project was rooted in Québec's Science Presse #100lascience […]
Why I'm involved with Nature Canada's Women for Nature initiative
That really is me (centre), Dave Reid (far left), and Heidi Langille (near left) with a live Great-Horned Owl, and their very calm, young handler, at the Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, on September 30, 2016. Dave, Heidi and I had a reunion, after working together on Adventure Canada's Arctic Explorer expedition cruise in August 2016. Other attendees at Nature […]
What I learned about Instagram from #ResearcherTakeoverTuesday at the COU
The clip of sea butterflies, below is from Anne Todgham's Go Pro. It didn't make it onto my Research Matters Instagram #ResearcherTakeoverTuesday in September. Anne, who is a Biology prof. in animal physiology at UC Davis, was an expedition cruise passenger on my Arctic Safari trip with Adventure Canada. Here's the text I wrote to accompany this clip: The arctic oceans […]
My 6 favourite #SciComm tweets since I got back on the grid
Six steps to making your very own Ada Lovelace Day in Fall 2016
Suw Charmin-Anderson launched International Ada Lovelace Day in 2009 as a way of both recognizing, and taking action to reverse the under-representation of women in STEM in Wikipedia. The official day is the 2nd Tuesday of October, but events run through the Fall. I first heard about her project in 2013, and threw around the idea of […]
Doing Public Science with Let's Talk Science & Science Rendezvous
Here's my belated June 1st post: I've always believed that learning, teaching and doing science should be fun. Amazingly, while I've been having fun with this over the last 35 years, I've received many disapproving looks from science teachers, professors, and "serious" research scientists. I have concluded, that they have absolutely no sense of humour, and I've simply ignored their frowns, […]
#WinterTerm2016 is a wrap: some of what went down
It's Friday of Week 13, and next Monday is the last day of classes, before final exams begin, next Wednesday. York University's Winter Term 2016 began earlier than any other Ontario university, so, we finish early, too. Here are some Plant Ecology students today, weary, yet still smiling (ok, I asked them to smile), from left […]
